Abstract Support by research personnel with expertise in sophisticated technologies provides a pillar of which research programs, shared resources and cancer centers are built upon. The intent of this proposal is to demonstrate Dr. Ryan Hansen as a research specialist in Dr. Daniel L. Gustafson's laboratory, the unit director of this proposal, and their collaborative interest in examining cancer pharmacology to impact cancer treatment. Their combine approach to cancer research has been highly productive for the past decade in the following areas: 1) Gustafson's interest in investigating the pharmacology of cancer therapeutics, most recently in the role of autophagy modulation in response to chemotherapy, 2) Supporting drug-based studies for the assessment of drug exposure in both preclinical and clinical studies through their leadership of the Pharmacology Shared Resource (PharmSR) of the University of Colorado Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCC), 3) Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics studies in comparative oncology at the Flint Animal Cancer Center (FACC) at Colorado State University (CSU) and 4) Performing pharmacokinetic related analyses for trials performed through the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium (COTC), the clinical trails infrastructure of the NCI Comparative Oncology Program. Dr. Hansen has found a niche as a career research scientist utilizing his skills in orthotopic animal models, analytical analysis of drugs and drug metabolites using tandem mass spectrometry and pharmacokinetic modeling and interpretation to support not only Dr. Gustafson's research, but also the numerous programs and cancer centers that this laboratory has become integral parts.